Subtle Realization
by NinNinKakizaki2015
Summary: After the war, two warriors will finally find solace within each other. Ruby x Jaune. Lancaster.


**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or any of its characters.**

Years have passed since the climactic battle against Salem's forces during the Second Great War. The scenery outside was peaceful, almost serene, as the bright morning sun shone down upon the fertile Mistralian lands. The everlasting silence was only interrupted every so often by the shrill chirping of birds, a common indication that the seasons were about to change.

It was a strange occurrence at first. With Salem's defeat, the Grimm had started disappearing one by one. Pretty soon, there were no Grimm sightings anywhere amongst Remnant, And while that was in of itself a good sign, there seemed to be a setback designed to counterbalance this sudden change. The various huntsmen and huntresses had their Auras depleted, losing all combat prowess in form of their Semblances. To make matters even more confusing, all of Remnant's Dust had completely vanished into thin air, leaving the continents devoid of any empowered material.

It took some time getting used to; not having to fear about any Grimm invasion, not having any Dust to work with, and not having to undergo combat training anymore. It was as Ozpin had predicted; the complete obliteration of the darkness only gave more room for the light to grow, which saw no need for violence and conflict, thus transforming the world into a more suitable environment. But that didn't stop civilization from adapting. Pretty soon, the kingdoms began to make use of the world's naturally occurring resources, and over time Remnant had began to flourish once more.

However, such a victory could never stamp out the feelings of loss that lingered amongst the survivors of the war.

A lone figure walked across the Mistralian lands, unfazed by the tranquility of his surroundings. Carrying nothing but a huge rucksack and his right arm in a sling, the man was in no hurry as he continued his trek across these grasslands, his destination awaiting him just a few kilometres ahead. It was a yearly tradition, coming to this very place to pay his respects to a special person that helped change his life in more ways than one.

Jaune Arc, now in his mid-twenties, stood in front of the gate leading towards the burial grounds dedicated to remembering the lives of the fallen. Particularly, it was for those who've had their lives claimed because of the heinous acts of Salem and her accomplices. Knowing this place all too well, Jaune pushed through and entered.

Many lives were lost during the war. While most bodies were never found upon the realization of death, monuments and graves were nevertheless constructed to honour those people; huntsmen, huntresses, and civilians alike. It was never easy to just seemingly stroll through this area without feeling sorrowful; the casualties would always serve as a painful reminder of what could've been prevented during that horrid period of time.

However, Jaune had only come here to visit one person. He respected the efforts of the Mistralian government in setting up this special war memorial despite the aforementioned person not really having fought in the war. That didn't mean her death didn't have an impact in the events that followed after. Even after all these years, Jaune never truly forgot about her, hiding his pain through the tough exterior he had built up over the years.

 _In Memoriam: Pyrrha Nikos. In which to achieve Pyrrhic victory, one must tread forward with unwavering determination._

He had to admire the work that went into sculpting this statue. Everything from her appearance to her body language, it was almost an exact replica of Pyrrha from what Jaune remembered of her back then at Beacon Academy. Perched atop of a boulder, with her javelin Milo drawn and her shield Akouo raised, Pyrrha Nikos stood proud, fearless and unfazed.

Jaune couldn't help but smile. He could never forget the lengths Pyrrha went through to prove herself to be a capable warrior, but he knew that deep down, she just wanted to be normal, to be treated as an equal among friends. And it was Jaune that first made her feel that way. He sighed as he recounted all the memories he made with Pyrrha, all up to the unexpected kiss they shared before she made her fateful decision.

With slight difficulty, he slid the heavy rucksack off his uninjured arm and emptied its contents. What lay in front of him were his armor, accented with gold lining, and Crocea Mors, his faithful sword and shield combination. He had come into an argument earlier with his parents earlier about it, but in the end they finally agreed with his decision. Despite being a family heirloom, Jaune had decided that it should be laid to rest alongside Pyrrha, given that he had modified it with Pyrrha's armour in memory. Plus, he saw no need in using it anymore; it had its job and had completed it with honour.

Placing the gear neatly beneath the statue, Jaune knelt down on one knee, and began to speak his thoughts.

"Hey Pyrrha," Jaune spoke as though this were a regular conversation. "How've you been doing these days? The weather just doesn't seem to be getting any better, that's for sure. Who would've thought that autumn would creep up on us so quickly? Heh….."

While Jaune continued speaking, he didn't notice that someone else had entered the area. Red-tipped locks flowing in the wind, Ruby Rose cautiously approached the man, bouquet of roses in her hand as she watched her friend ramble on about the comings and goings around his life. She had grown quite a bit over the years; the only notable differences in her appearance came from her longer hair and an eye patch she wore over her left eye, an injury that she could never recover from.

She couldn't help but feel remorseful as she watched her friend spill his heart out over their fallen friend. As much as Pyrrha's death greatly affected them both, Ruby always knew that Jaune had it the hardest. Pyrrha was Jaune's partner after all, destined to work together since their initiation at Beacon all those years ago. And yet, Ruby was there when Cinder Fall, who had thankfully met her demise with Team RWBY's combined efforts, mercilessly executed Pyrrha on the spot. She had failed to save her, despite assuring Jaune that she could do so.

Ruby knew that Jaune would never let go of Pyrrha's memory, and she respected him about it. However, it came into conflict with her own feelings regarding Jaune. It started around halfway into the war, in which Ruby denied at first, only for her to realize what her feelings meant the more times she fought alongside Jaune. But even after all this time, she kept them suppressed within herself, as she knew that deep down, Jaune could never let go of Pyrrha. It left him broken, and Ruby wanted to mend that wound, but could never find the courage to do so.

"Ren and Nora? You wouldn't believe it! Two kids already! And I never thought that Nora would be the type to settle down after everything's that happened." Jaune lamented at the thought of his teammates opting for the quiet life, living peacefully in the newly rebuilt Kuroyuri village. Well, without anything to fight against, there really wasn't a reason to go out smashing things, as Nora would've done.

Well, that was something Jaune hadn't considered until now. After the end of the war, having his arm crushed that one time by Tyrian trying the protect Ruby (he refused to have it amputated and replaced), Jaune never considered what he would be doing next. Over time, he found use in helping out the citizens of Mistral with rebuilding and recovery, despite his current disability. He would often go to Kuroyuri to visit Ren and Nora to catch up on the times, but after seeing friends getting together and starting families, he started to ponder the fact that he could potentially go down that path too.

Only that he couldn't force himself to.

"You know, I guess that's what we could've been if we'd been fortunate enough." The tone in Jaune's had noticeably shifted, wallowing in regret that Pyrrha could no longer be with him to celebrate in this age of peace. Sure, people have been telling him to let go, and that dwelling on the past was not going to be any good for him. However, that may be though, Jaune just couldn't.

Sensing the sudden change in atmosphere, Ruby had to speak up.

"Um, Jaune?"

"What? Oh, hey Ruby!" Jaune stumbled a bit out of shock before setting himself straight and greeting his friend. "What's going on? I didn't expect to see you here."

"Am I not allowed to visit? Pyrrha's my friend too after all." She was right though, the day that Pyrrha died marked the anniversary of the Fall of Beacon, and it became customary for Pyrrha's friends to come pay respects to her every year. However, as time flew by, Jaune and Ruby were the only ones who continued to carry on this tradition.

"Right, of course…." Jaune stepped aside as Ruby placed her bouquet of roses beneath Pyrrha's statue. Stepping back a bit, she knelt down in silent prayer while Jaune looked on. He had to admit, this period of peace had brought about some changes in Ruby; she wasn't as hyperactive and energetic as she used to be. But then again, growing up also had a hand in this.

When Ruby was done, she stood up and turned around to face Jaune, who had a melancholic smile on his face. Ruby knew that expression all too well; a façade to cover up the grief that dwelled in his heart. None the less, she tried to make conversation.

"So, you decided to leave Crocea Mors with her? Is your family okay with that?"

"Well, yeah, dad was totally against it at first, but you know my mom, he can't get his way around her. And in the end, it all worked out." Jaune placed his hand behind his head in embarrassment. "But then, I found that this is for the best. It works as a final resting place."

"Well, I guess you can say the same about me." Ruby brought her hands together as if reminiscing something. "With no more Grimm to fight, I've decided to hang up Crescent Rose for good."

"Huh? Why would you do that though?" Jaune looked exasperated, even confused. To think that Ruby Rose, the weapons expert, casually set aside her most prized possession like that! Jaune knew how much Ruby fawned over her "precious baby", and it was quite shocking that she would even consider putting it away…..

"Don't worry!" Ruby was kind of surprised to see the shock value on Jaune's face. "It's in good hands! I've donated it to the SSRC! It will go up on display in the exhibit along with the rest of Team RWBY's memorabilia!"

The Schnee Sustainable Resource Company was formerly known as the Schnee Dust Company. The business conglomerate had to change its business plan, as the disappearance of Dust proved to hit the company with huge financial losses. However, that didn't stop the current CEO, Weiss Schnee, from restoring the company to its former, but reformed glory. Apparently, they even established a museum with exhibits recollecting major historical events in regards to the Second Great War.

"But why though?" Jaune asked.

"Oh well, you see, you did tell me before that I should tone down my obsession over weapons and, well, this is just one step towards that right?" Ruby smiled sheepishly.

"Never thought I'd see the day." Jaune returned her smile with a genuine one. It had been too long since he was able to do that to her, much less talk to her casually about things. "But are you sure about that though, I mean it was your "baby" after all….."

"Oh har har…" Ruby replied sarcastically. She missed being able to converse with Jaune like this. It reminded her of her carefree days back at Beacon, when the world seemed to be bliss. At time when all she could think of was being the hero, fighting alongside her friends to make the world a better place. And though that had been achieved, what else was there to do?

"So, how are things going with your teammates?" Jaune asked, trying to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"Well, as you know by now, Weiss is now head of her family's company. The fact that Dust doesn't exist anymore did pose a problem for everyone for a while, but you know her, always studying….."

"And who would've known that we had all these other natural resources at our disposal!"

"I know! And Weiss delved further into her research and look where it's got her now!" Ruby replied gleefully. "Despite being wheelchair-ridden after the war, she's still out and about, doing what's best for the world. That's my BFF after all!"

"How about Blake and Yang? How've they been holding up?"

"Ah, Blake. Since the downfall of the White Fang, she's been running around trying to undo the wrongs caused by their radical faction. Heck, she's started up orphanages all across Remnant, accepting both humans and Faunus alike!"

"Wow, she does know how to pick up after herself despite all she's been through….."

"Tell me about it! And Yang? Well, you know her. She'll never sit still. A worldwide trip across Remnant for crying out loud! I mean, she could've asked me if I wanted to come along with her….." Ruby pouted at the thought about her sister abandoning her to go on an adventure. "Well, she still sends pictures and whatnot, though I often wonder what kind of trouble she gets herself into these days."

"Hah! I definitely don't see her settling down anytime soon."

"Yeah, no kidding." Ruby sighed as her mind began to wander elsewhere. "I guess it wouldn't be hard to give it a try at least, with the peace finally settling in. It'd be nice if we'd be able to get our own place, get married, maybe have a kid or two….."

It took a few seconds for Ruby to register what she just said. Upon realization, her face flushed as red as her hood, frantically turning away from Jaune once the embarrassment crept up on her.

"Ah! Ignore what I just said! I was just rambling, ugh! What am I even saying at this point?"

"Ruby?" Jaune was confused for a moment, thinking that Ruby had inadvertently confessed to him for a second there. Wait, what? A confession? But that couldn't mean…..

Sure, even Jaune himself knew of his unwillingness to let go of Pyrrha's passing. Despite their short time together, every interaction between the two, they had made meaningful bonds that could never be severed. However, after her death and during the war, Jaune had never given any thoughts towards his love life. And here he was, just realizing that Ruby had been making subtle advances all this time.

She was the one who helped him discover his Semblance. She was the one who tried to lift his spirits up whenever there was strife. She was the one Jaune felt the closest to, feeling the need to protect her ever since he felt powerless by not being able to protect Pyrrha all those years ago. And the determination to do so was what cost him his arm…..

But it was worth it. Seeing Ruby's despair once she realized what happened that moment was unsettling at first, but it gave her the determination, the strength and willpower to go face off against Salem. And with the final use of her Silver Eyes, she put an end to the demonic being.

At the cost of losing her left eye.

Jaune walked over to the woman, trying to think up something to say, anything to say. However, he was at a loss for words. The only thing he was able to do was to repeat Ruby's name over and over again.

Ruby couldn't bear it anymore. With him calling out to her like that, she couldn't resist the urge to go back and explain everything to him; how she gradually fell for him the more she got to know him, how much she wanted to tell him despite his unresolved feelings for Pyrrha.

Not wanting to suffer anymore, Ruby turned back and wrapped her arms around Jaune, careful not to damage his injured arm, and buried her face into his chest. Jaune, finally coming to terms with his feelings, pulled Ruby closer to him, resting his own head over hers, as a silent tear was shed from his eye. They stood in this position for a while, blissfully unaware of their surroundings for a moment, basking in the warmth of each other's company.

When they finally came apart, it was Jaune who spoke first.

"So, it finally came together huh?"

"No wonder people keep calling you dense!" Ruby replied cheerfully, despite tears running down the sides of her face. "You don't know how much time and effort it took me to finally get you to look at me that way!"

"Well, in the end, it all worked out didn't it?" Jaune teasingly laughed.

"You don't get to make fun of me for this!" Ruby pouted, though in the mocking manner. "As punishment, you have to treat me to a batch of those cookies made by your mom that you keep raving about!"

"Alright, alright! You win this one!" Jaune backed away a little while Ruby jokingly shook her fist against him.

After their little bout of playful bickering, it was time to get serious. At least, Ruby thought they should.

"You know, I'm serious about this though." Ruby flushed at the thought. "I want you to tell me that you love me. I want you to show me that you Arcs don't back down on your words."

"Ruby," Jaune smirked as he approached her once again. "You belittle me a little too much."

And he pulled her into a kiss, which Ruby reciprocated passionately.

 **A/N: So, I recently got into RWBY and essentially binged the whole series up until its current episode. Just wanted to get this little Lancaster one-shot out there. So, what do you think? Please leave a friendly review, and thanks for dropping by!**


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